Australian Carpet Python

Scientific Name: Morelia spilota cheynei

Did You Know?

Jungle carpet pythons have become popular pets due to their stunning colouration, but in the wild their numbers are decreasing due to the destruction of their habitat.

The jungle carpet python is a vividly coloured python that at its most striking is brilliant yellow and black, although it can be tan and black. Its underbelly is usually white. The snakes grow 1.5-2.1 metres long. The jungle carpet python is non-venomous to humans.

Habitat:

Lush tropical and subtropical forests near waterways and creeks. They are found in a very small range near waterways running off the Atherton Tableland and the south-eastern part of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland.

Diet:

Small mammals, birds, frogs and lizards. The snake kills its prey by constriction.

Reproduction:

As with other python species, the jungle carpet python lays a clutch of eggs which the female incubates by coiling around them and shivering her muscles to keep them warm.